Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-12-24

II SPEECH OF WILSON on THE sCAFFOLD.
He began by telling them that though he
was condemned to death as q spy, he was
no spy, but simply Il soldier in the per-
formance Of duty; he said he did not re-
greet dying for his country, for that was n
soldiers duty, but only the manner Of
death, which was unbccoming to Il soldier.
Even those who condemned them well
knew that they were not spies; then leav-
ing the personal question, he declared
that he had no hard feelings toward the
south or her people, with whom he had
long been well acquainted; that they were
generous and brave: lie knew they were
fighting for what they believed to be
right, but they were terribly deceived.
Their leaders had not permitted them to
know the facts in the case, and they were
bringing blood and destruction upon their
section of the nation for IL mere dclusion.
He declared that the people Of the north
Loved the whole nation and the flag, and
were fighting to uphold them, not to do
any injury to the south, and that when
victory am the south would reap the
benefit IS well as the north. The guilt Of
the war would rest upon those who had
misled tie southern people, and induced
them to engage in a causeless and hope
less rebellion. He told them that all
whose lives were spared for but n short
time would regret the part they had taken
in this rebellion, and that the old Union
would yet be restored, n the flag Of Il
common country wave over the very
ground occupied by this scaffold.
There were tears coursing rapidly down
the checks Of many Confederate soldiers;
the emotion Of q number of negroes who
were q long way off, yet in easy hearing
of the trumpet like voice, was almost un-
comfortable. One of them said to Capt.
Sarratt two years after, ':Nassa, if that
man had only spoke a few minutes longer
they could never have hung him in the
world" a rebel officer was heard to
mutter, "Why don't they stop him: What
do they allow such talk fors'' But it was
not so easy to stop a dying man, whose
words were so kind and persuasive, and
whose %eloquence was of that highest typo
which throws e spell over friend and
enemy.
So the tide Of truthful speech flowed on
till many of the poor men in the rebel
ranks heard for the first time the full ar
raignment of their own guilty government
with a c%learness which carried conviction,
and then with the bold prophecy of COM
ing triumph for the glorious cause-a
prospect which seemed to lift the speaker
above all fear of his W death-the hero
closed, giving the sign for the deed Of
shame-dying with this glorious predic-
ton on his lips!
No collins had been provided. AS soon
as life was pronounced extinct the bodies
were laid in the shallow trench, Just wide
enough for their length, and long enough
for all the seven to lie close together-a
brotherhood in death as they had been in
life. Here the earth was filed in, and
they remained TIL, ct the close of the war,
the national government removed their
bodies to an honored spot in the beautiful
national cemetery at Chattanooga. a
monument should mark both his spot and
that in Atlanta, where heroism in death
shone so brightly.